No One Could
by RavenFlyingSolo
Summary: Post-Birthmark. Can life just go back to “normal” for the Teen Titans? Or will the admittance of the deeply-buried and long-denied make it impossible for Raven to conceal the truth of her destiny any longer? Slight BBxRae, could be more later.
1. Wash Away Your Sins

Summary: Post-Birthmark. Can life just go back to "normal" for the Teen Titans? Or will the admittance of the deeply-buried and long-denied make it impossible for Raven to conceal the truth of her destiny?

Author's Note: This is my first story. The recent airing of "Birthmark" got me thinking about writing a fic, so here I am, I guess. I have no idea where this is going to go, I'm just kind of making it up as I go to avoid having to do schoolwork.

Legal Note: Don't own Teen Titans in any form. Wish I did. Don't sue me, NYU has all my money.

* * *

"Let's go home."

Raven nodded slightly, and allowed Robin to help her stand. She wobbled a little, still stiff and sore from the serious beating Slade had given her. All for the sake of a message she hadn't wanted. A message she hadn't needed–she had already known. Some trace of the pain of the demonic burns remained with her, but Raven assumed the residual feeling was more psychological than anything else.

"Friend Robin? Who is with you?" A voice behind the duo questioned, with a tone of worry, and a dash of jealousy.

Raven sighed. The last thing she had wanted was for the other Titans to see her right now. Robin, understanding that Raven was probably a little self-conscious, stepped in front of her in an effort to conceal what he could.

Her back had been to them, and her head down. When she turned, there was a collective gasp from Starfire, Beast Boy, and Cyborg. Raven caught their eyes, and did her best to make her face, especially her eyes, as neutral as possible. Had she been wearing her cape, she would have withdrawn into the shadows of her hood. "Raven?" Cyborg asked, shocked. Beast Boy was unable to speak; his bottom jaw rested on the floor and Starfire felt nothing but worry.

Raven nodded. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Fruitlessly, because it caught the wind a moment later. Suddenly, she realized she was cold, and shivered a little.

"What happened to you two?" Beast Boy finally recovered enough to say something. Raven and Robin shared a look, before Robin replied that now was not the time. They should probably get back to the Tower.

Cyborg had driven the T-Car to the warehouse, and Robin had ridden his R-Cycle. Cyborg handed Raven a blanket, which she wrapped around herself gratefully, and everyone piled into the car, except Robin. The Titans rode home in a silence charged with questions.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror. Upon arriving back at the Tower, the Titans had begged her to let them prod her in the medical lab to make sure she was fine, but Raven had declined. Instead, she had showered, letting the cool water wash away her sins, the chill countering the warmth of the evil clinging to her skin. Thankfully, she had as many costumes as Robin had, and donned a clean one. She disposed of the ripped one, and thought ruefully how it looked more like she'd spent a day at the beach than fighting family.

The next thing to do: get rid of the hair. As she snipped at her long, violet locks, she was able to avoid paying too much attention to her reflection in her mirror. But when her hair cut ended, Raven stood looking at her reflection. She looked the same, but felt so different. The only place this difference surfaced was deep in her amethyst eyes. The way she carried herself was slightly different as well, but she doubted the others would pay so much attention.

What did she feel? Other than a sense of impending doom, she felt little. The emotions inside her mind were pacing restlessly in each of their habitats, but none knew how to feel. She felt so much, so many conflicting things, that none could manifest itself long enough to dominate her consciousness. Raven thought she should meditate, but was then struck by a vivid flashback of her previous attempt at meditation. She flinched unconsciously at the thought, and banished the idea of meditation to a later time.

That symbol, the symbol of Trigon the Terrible. It had been inscribed in her flesh, and had been present on Slade's forehead. There was no doubt in her mind Slade had died–_he was still dead_–but Trigon must have resurrected him. He would have known Slade was a fierce enemy of the Titans and, Raven had to admit, Slade as the messenger was something she might have seen coming. But she had wanted so desperately to deny her heritage, the prophecy, her _destiny_, that she had refused to see. And she had endangered her friends because of it. That thought sent a wave of pain through her heart, and she wished she could have left them out of it. Yet, Raven had formed the Titans for one reason: to eventually stop her and Trigon from the domination and destruction of earth. What she hadn't counted on was becoming so attached to them.

There was a knock on the door and, upon opening it, she discovered a set of arrows. Which she followed to the main room.

"Ummm...surprise!"

* * *

End of chapter one.

Yes, that was pretty boring. I'm sorry. But I enjoyed writing it, so I guess it's all good. Review if you liked it, I'd love to hear from you.

I hope to do a scene after the party between Raven and Robin (friendship), then one where they have a conference with the others. If I can come up with something exciting for after that, maybe I'll make a nice, big story out of it.


	2. Eight Layers of Questions

First, I want to send out a thanks to my first reviewer, Fading Into Darkness! Thanks for the review, I'm glad you liked it. ) This one is dedicated to you!

Summary: Post-Birthmark. Can life just go back to "normal" for the Teen Titans? Or will the admittance of the deeply-buried and long-denied make it impossible for Raven to conceal the truth of her destiny?

Author's Note: This is my first story. The recent airing of "Birthmark" got me thinking about writing a fic, so here I am, I guess. I have no idea where this is going to go, I'm just kind of making it up as I go to avoid having to do schoolwork.

Legal Note: Don't own Teen Titans in any form. Wish I did. Don't sue me, NYU has all my money.

* * *

The party had finally ended, and it was well after midnight. Finally, the day Raven longed to see end had. Starfire and Cyborg had again wished her a happy birthday before heading to their respective rooms, and Beast Boy had passed out on the large, half-circular couch in the main room. His arm was drooped off the side and into the slick residue of chocolate ice cream which remained on his plate. Apparently, he'd put it on the floor beside the couch. Robin noticed this as he was collecting dishes, and shook his head. Raven was at the counter, twirling her fork in the remainder of the three kinds of frosting from Cyborg's famous eight-layer cake, and nursed a cup of herbal tea. Robin returned to the sink with an armful of dishes, and began rinsing them off.

The silence was not necessarily uncomfortable, but charged. Both knew there were things that needed to be discussed, but getting down to the nitty gritty of it was more difficult than either had really anticipated. Robin was about to begin, but Raven cut him off, "Yes, I know. We have to fill in the gaps for the others."

Robin remained silent a moment. When that was all the more Raven gave him, he said simply, "The others are going to have a lot of questions. We need to review what we know and find any clues we can to catch Slade." His brow furrowed, and he gritted his teeth. His fist clenched and unclenched on the counter top. Slade. That bastard.

Raven sensed Robin was about to go into super-obsessive mode, and understood why. As the leader of the Teen Titans, Robin felt very strongly that he should be able to protect his colleaques–no, his _friends_–from any danger that should arise. And Slade had been _his _nemesis. On some level he felt more responsible for what had happened to her because it was Slade. At least, _Robin_ thought it was Slade. Raven knew better.

She rerouted the subject. "Fine, we'll tell them what happened after I froze time. Compare stories. See what we can figure out." _There's nothing for me to figure out_, she thought with irony.

With a nod, Robin agreed. He was particularly curious about the sudden growth of Raven's hair, and was debating asking her, when Beast Boy gave a loud snore from the couch and rolled over, his shoulder now pressed into the couch, and the ice cream-covered hand sticking straight out in front of him in the air. The two teens looked at their friend briefly, before turning back to their conversation.

"Robin?"

"Yes?"

"I will not discuss what happened with Slade in the team's absence." Anger, mixed with sadness and vulnerability, slipped unannounced into her voice. Wait, was that a little bit of...fear, as well? Robin could almost feel it, the emotions emanating from Raven in waves. She didn't have as much control as she feigned, and maybe it was only because of their "connection" that he could tell. Her face was neutral, but there was something different about her eyes...

"Robin?" Raven was staring at him concernedly.

"Huh?" He realized he had zoned out. Robin turned his attention back to the girl in front of him. What was so different about her? She seemed...ugh, he couldn't figure it out. Resigned? But that didn't make any sense. Resigned to what?

"Did you hear what I said?" No, don't let her get annoyed. That would be the death of us all.

"Yeah, you don't want to discuss whatever happened when we weren't there. I get it." He wasn't going to push it, at least not now anyway. But then he remembered how she looked when he'd caught her, her long purple hair, her cape gone, and her leotard in shreds. What had Slade done to her? He had a thought, a thought that sent the blood boiling in every vein in his body...

"Raven, he didn't..." Robin couldn't bring himself to finish the question.

Raven stared at him, furrowing her brow and looking confused. She used her telepathy to poke the forefront of his thoughts. Now she understood why Robin suddenly looked so tense, uncomfortable, and super angry.

"No! No. Definitely not. He didn't touch me," to which she added mentally, _Without setting every inch of my skin on fire._ Raven remembered the symbols. Remembered the pain. She shook her head to clear the thought.

Robin relaxed noticeably. He was still worried about Raven, about her mental well-being. What the _hell_ was so different about her?

The two stood in silence a while longer, Raven staring into the shallow abyss of her tea cup, and Robin arching an eyebrow at the green boy sprawled on the couch. "We should get some sleep. There's a lot to talk about tomorrow."

Raven nodded, and watched Robin walk over to Beast Boy and try to wake him. The changeling didn't stir. Robin rolled him all over the couch, and still Beast Boy didn't wake. He even punched him a couple times.

"Robin?"

"What?"

"Move."

Robin jumped back. Suddenly the changeling was enveloped in a wave of black energy, and lifted into the air beside the couch. At once the black aura disappeared, and Beast Boy crashed to the floor. His eyes shot open, and he rubbed his head. "What was that for?"

"Go to bed." Raven and Robin both ordered.

Beast Boy whined, but was too tired to do much else. He dragged himself off down the hallway, with Raven and Robin not far behind.

Raven stepped into her room, and crawled into bed. Truth be told, she was beyond exhausted. It had a been a long and miserable day. She felt she had aged a year in that one day, and she wondered if maybe that had been part of the message. Though she knew her dreams would be more haunted than usual, Raven quickly drifted off into a deep sleep.

* * *

Okay, so that's chapter two. Just want to give a big thanks again to Into The Darkness for the review. Thanks!

Also, I think I have a better idea where this might be going now, at least for a while. I upped the rating because I discovered that I like to swear, and I'm usually err on the side of caution when rating things, so just to be safe.


	3. Speculation and Certainty

Summary: Post-Birthmark. Can life just go back to "normal" for the Teen Titans? Or will the admittance of the deeply-buried and long-denied make it impossible for Raven to conceal the truth of her destiny?

Author's Note: Still have little to no idea as to where this story is going. I guess I'm just seeing where my conception of the characters takes me. If anyone has any plot suggestions, let me know, and I'll definitely give them some thought.

To all my reviewers, THANK YOU SO MUCH for everything you said. You've all really inspired me to keep writing. Falling Into Darkness, raven-shadowsong, Sangofanatic, ray1, the-lost-raven, The Last, CatRocks, Majestical, and Darksin, thank you. I can't say it enough!

I'm a little nervous on writing characters who aren't Raven or Robin, so honestly they don't seem to get a lot of dialogue. I'm hoping as I go I'll get a better feel for it.

This chapter is going to have some pretty heavy spoilers for "Birthmark," so if you haven't seen it and don't want to know about it, don't read this chapter.

Legal Note: Don't own Teen Titans in any form. Wish I did. Don't sue me, NYU has all my money.

* * *

Raven awoke with a start early the next morning. She was still exhausted–her sleep had been anything but restful–yet she dragged herself into a sitting position with a heavy sigh. Her dreams had never been comforting, nor would she expect them to be now considering recent events. If there was one thing she hated most about nightmares, it was waking up and wondering if it was all just a dream or a prophecy. 

The events of the previous day caught up with her and in a swift motion left her mind quivering like a bowling pin just before it falls. _Ooooh_, she groaned inwardly, _and I can't even kill myself because then I'd just be a completely powerless, resurrected minion. At least alive I might be able to fight back._

With that train of thought sufficiently shoved aside for the morning, she began her usual ritual of showering and dressing in a clean uniform._ Life might be SUCK, but knowing what to wear is never difficult_, Raven thought, making sorry attempts to amuse herself in order to counteract what she suspected would otherwise be an unbearable inner monologue. She'd been attempting to play the Titans' impending meeting out in her head, to no avail. In fact, she wasn't quite sure what exactly she wanted to tell them.

All she knew was what she _couldn't_ tell them.

A knock sounded on her door, and Robin's voice found her through her walls, "Raven? I've gathered the Titans for the meeting."

"In a minute," she responded. After a hesitation, she could hear Robin's footsteps receding down the hallway. Raven looked at herself in the mirror. At least she didn't look as poorly as she felt. Sometimes knowing how to control her emotions came in handy.

She wondered idly how much longer that control could last.

* * *

The four Titans were quiet. Beast Boy and Cyborg weren't fighting, and Starfire was calmer than her usual, HUG ME! self. They were all seated at the table, relaxed but waiting. The doors to the main room slid open, and Raven entered. 

Raven was surprised to see it was afternoon already, but she was more surprised by the silence. Beast Boy? Silent? Though she was tempted to send a sarcastic remark his way in celebration of his successful completion of learning how to shut up, she declined. Better enjoy the moment while it lasted.

Really, there was little to enjoy, and she knew it better than any of them.

The others glanced at her as she entered, but were careful not to stare. Robin smiled weakly, and questioned her with his eyes. _Yes, ready as I'll ever be_, she thought, and gave a slight nod to indicate they should begin.

Robin, standing, began in a stern voice, "Titans, I'm sure you can all guess while we're having this meeting. I think we need to discuss this new situation involving Slade. And I'm sure you're all wondering how Raven and I came to be a couple of miles away from you within moments of escaping the collapsing building." He paused, and looked to Raven to hand the conversation off to her. Robin sat, and Raven cleared her throat, but remained seated. Beast Boy, Starfire, and Cyborg were staring at her expectantly.

"I stopped time."

Gasps were heard around the table. Cyborg exclaimed, "Since when have you been able to stop time? How did you stop time? Did you stop _time_ or did you just stop everything from moving?"

"Since yesterday. I don't know, and I really don't know."

"Wait, so like...we could all be missing time and were frozen and not know anything about it?" The right side of Beast Boy's brain exploded from the theoretical implications of this act.

"You are missing time. And if you can get over the time thing, I'd like to move onward with the story." She let a moment pass in silence, then continued, "Robin was about to be slaughtered by a gear, and I yelled stop. I don't know how it happened, except the next time I looked up everything was like a video on pause. Beast Boy was mid-transformation.

"The only thing that didn't stop was Slade. Whatever his new powers are, he doesn't seem to be effected by mine anymore." Raven continued with her story–unfreezing Robin, fleeing from Slade via the air, and finally being hurtled into the building. She left out all mention of the vision and what Slade had told her, as well as the markings of her father and her sudden hair growth. Secretly, she had hoped they'd forgotten her long hair. Finally, she told them of losing consciousness, and the next thing she remembered was being with Robin on top of a different building.

There, that was the story. And she hadn't lied, just left out huge chunks of information.

Again, silence pervaded the room. Only momentarily, before Robin began his version. He was as protective of the conversational tidbits as she was, but had insight on Slade. "When Slade found us after escaping the building, I told Raven to run, and turned to fight Slade." Robin hesitated. Could that have been real? Yes, Slade shoots fire now, there was no reason to doubt his senses. "I kicked him in the face five times. I could hear the bones in his neck _snap_. It should have killed the bastard. But he just stood there, with his head hanging at an odd angle and his shoulders hunched. Then he straightened out and just...everything _cracked_ back into place. It was like he wasn't _human_ anymore."

Starfire spoke up, "He does control the fire now. Perhaps it is another power he has gained?"

"Why is he alive at all? Terra destroyed him!" Beast Boy flared up with this mention of Terra. He refused to entertain that her sacrifice had been for nothing.

Raven felt the emotion of Terra's loss roll off of Beast Boy. She flinched involuntarily.

"It doesn't matter how. What matters is how we stop him, and why he's after Raven. We have to–" Raven cut Robin off mid-sentence.

"Slade is dead."

The other Titans turned to her, shocked. Starfire argued, "But Friend Raven, we saw Slade alive and shooting the fire at us. He would have to be alive, yes?"

Raven pondered how to explain this. "I sensed nothing from him. He was like a shell of a human being, cold and empty. All I could feel from him was death." That wasn't a total lie. She had felt it. At quite close range too. The inhuman heat of his hands on her arms, and the decay in his breath. What she neglected to mention was her theory on Slade's return. _Damn you, Trigon. Damn you, you miserable, antlered son of a bitch._

"Well if Slade is dead then how do we kick his butt?" Cyborg raised his voice, and clenched his fist on the table.

No one had an answer. They all subconsciously wondered if the Titans could win this time. Raven remembered what Robin had said to her at the second surprise party.

* * *

"_Are you okay?"_

"_I will be." It's the Titans that I fear for._

"_What you told me about your destiny, that something bad was supposed to happen? I guess it did. I'm sorry I couldn't stop it."_

_He had looked so sad then. She knew he felt he had let her down. What had scared him most was that she could have died–they all could have died–and none of them could stop it, _he_ couldn't stop it. As she spoke her next words, she realized the ringing truth in what she was saying, the desperate resignation to the prophecy._

"_No one could."_

_

* * *

_  
Yay! End of chapter three. I think there's at least one more chapter of discussion before anything else happens. They've got a lot of things to ask and sort out yet. Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, and thanks again for all your reviews! Every one of you has really inspired me to keep writing. 


	4. Defining Hopelessness

Summary: Post-Birthmark. Can life just go back to "normal" for the Teen Titans? Or will the admittance of the deeply-buried and long-denied make it impossible for Raven to conceal the truth of her destiny?

Author's Note: Writing fic is hard.

Thanks to all my reviewers!

Raven of the Shadows of Azerath: I was SO thinking exactly that. I ended up not doing it in this chapter, though I'm not really sure why. The only thing I'm thinking about is that if she tells Robin, the cat is out of the bag, and as team leader he'd have to tell the others. Something would have to be done. And I just have NO idea what that would be yet.

the-lost-raven: AHHHHH! Okay, okay, I'll start again. I love your enthusiasm. It makes my day. )

Legal Note: Don't own Teen Titans in any form. Wish I did. Don't sue me, NYU has all my money.

* * *

"Raven? Hellooooo, Earth to Raven!" Beasty Boy was hooting and waving his hand in front of her face. She turned her head towards him and, her eyes glowing white, caused a claw of black energy to pick Beasty Boy up by his shoulders and push him back into his chair. 

"Yep. There she is."

Robin had noticed the distant look on Raven's face, and realized she knew a lot more than she was letting on. He had suspected as much, but the mysterious disappearance of her attention span on such an important matter concerned him.

"Perhaps Friend Raven has thought of a way to beat Slade?" Starfire, always the hopeful one, put Raven on the spot. But Raven lowered her eyes, and furrowed her brow.

"No." She did have an idea, but Raven wondered how much of a victory it would really be. While she could no longer deny her destiny, at least to herself, for the time being she would continue to conceal it from her teammates.

Everyone looked disappointed.

"Yo, why is Slade after Raven? With all that power, what could he possibly need her for?" Cyborg pulled the conversation to a question there could be hope of solving.

Again, Raven lowered her eyes, and waited nervously to see what the Titans would come up with. Instead, Robin inquired, "Raven, do you have any idea why?"

Her breath caught. While she knew her face was neutral, she could feel her eyes begin to betray her. Raven concentrated on her eyes, and suppressed the emotion they contained. Turning to face Robin, she met his eyes. "No."

Shit. She'd lied. She'd had no desire to lie to them. There was a difference between concealing and lying. It wrenched at her heart. But Raven convinced herself it was necessary.

Robin thought. "Raven, you said he was dead?" She nodded. "If something gave him life, perhaps he's dependent on it now. It would have to be some kind of magic. Slade was always a bastard, but never supernatural. His power is from something else. What if he needs Raven for some reason to stay 'alive?'"

"I guess it's a possibility, but we got our butts kicked. Dude, if he wanted Raven for something like that, why didn't he just take her with him when he had the chance?" Cyborg brought up a good point. "Why did he drop her off some building?"

Unanswered questions were becoming the theme of the meeting. And there were so many.

The team was at a standstill. They brain-stormed further, and only hit more dead ends. Robin kept casting sideways glances at Raven, noticing her discomfort. He supposed he couldn't blame her, and felt she was handling the whole thing well, considering. Still, there was something he couldn't put his finger on. After another hour of distracted, tense conversation, no headway was made, and they agreed to adjourn.

Robin went to his room to begin painstaking research–his mind was returning to the Slade zone. Cyborg went to change the oil in his baby, and Starfire entertained herself with the cultivation of her "edible" fungi. Raven returned to her room, and was about to begin meditating, when there was a knock on her door. "Raven?"

Beast Boy. She moved to the door, and opened it a crack, revealing only half her face to him. "What?"

The dark girl had always intimidated him, but regardless Beast Boy felt a connection to her in a way he couldn't explain. Perhaps her mystery fascinated him. Perhaps he wished he could pass some of his happiness on to her. He couldn't understand whatever it was that had happened, but his gut, his _instincts_–he was an animal, after all–told him she was hiding something. The scant details Raven had filled in for them at the meeting had done little more than raise more questions, and there were holes in her stories that were begging to be filled. Beast Boy had noticed a change in her, too. Raven, whose emotionless exterior rarely varied, was consistently more and more...emotional. The emotion just remained confined to her eyes. He could sense the sadness? No. The _hopelessness_ like a dog senses the moods of his human companion. It worried him, and a sense of foreboding pressed on his heart.

"I was just...worried about you. I know you think you've got to keep up that 'mystery girl' routine, but if you wanted a loyal friend to talk to..." he morphed into a golden retriever and stared up at her.

Raven was about to reply tersely, but when she felt his genuine concern for her, she realized she didn't want to crush his soul. Tension in the Tower was high enough without her fighting with Beast Boy. She opened the door far enough to take a step into the hallway. "It's nothing, Beast Boy. I'm fine."

"I know you're hiding something, Raven. We can stop Slade better if we know what's going on."

She regretted her earlier decision to be gentle with him. Beast Boy continued, trying to let her know she could confide in him. He really did just want to help her, but all she could feel was the pressure of his entreaties. It made her angry actually. How dare he come to her door and confront her like this! If she could stop Slade, she would in a second. She'd tell them in a second. But nothing was ever so simple.

_Keep getting angrier, black bird._

NO. That was a voice she knew. Raven could feel anger tear lose a little, and was caught off guard by the ease with which her control was now lost. Deep shit. Deeeeeep shit. Her head was lowered, and she realized Beast Boy had stopped talking. Raven couldn't even tell if he was still there until he spoke again. "Raven? Raven, are you okay?"

She gritted her teeth. She felt one of the runes of Trigon reappear at the back of her neck, right below her hairline. Raven gasped. When she had re-examined the marks on her hands after speaking to Robin, their reappearance had not hurt. But this recurrence was not controlled. And it burned.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Azarath Metrion Zinthos..." she chanted. In a moment, she had regained control. The entire incident lasted only two minutes. She was breathing heavily, and her heart rate had sky-rocketed. Beast Boy had placed a hand on her shoulder, and was looking at her, the worry etched on his face like ads on a bilboard.

Raven looked up at him, her face scrunched up and her eyes defiant. "I said I was FINE." With that, she removed herself from his hand and slammed her door in his face with a blast of dark energy.

Beast Boy stood wondering what had happened. When he realized he had been shut out, he slumped his shoulders and retreated down the hall.

* * *

How I love writing this! I was surprised how difficult it is to come up with a flowing conversation though. I'm not used to writing dialogue. Got a lot more appreciation for all the fic writers out there though. This whole chapter was going to be discussion about Slade and what they should, but all I realized was that I have no idea what they should, or how any of the questions could answered without Raven just spitting it out. And she wouldn't do that. Even though I really want her to. Weeeee. 

Let me know if you think there's any plot problems or anything like that, or suggestions for the future. I'm always open to ideas!


	5. Careful Resolve

Summary: Post-Birthmark. Can life just go back to "normal" for the Teen Titans? Or will the admittance of the deeply-buried and long-denied make it impossible for Raven to conceal the truth of her destiny?

Author's Note: The reason I haven't posted definite pairings for this fic yet is because I really don't know who it would be. I'm also basing it as much on the show as possible, and the pairings seem to be Starfire and Robin, and Beast Boy and Raven. Robin and Raven, however, understand each other better than the other pairings. And I think regardless of where Raven's feelings lie, Beast Boy likes her. So that was the angle I was playing in chapter four. I don't know if I'll do it again or not. Again, I'm just riding with what I think the characters would do.

Everyone who reviewed, thank you so much. You make it worth writing. Without your comments, I wouldn't have the slightest idea where to go or the confidence to keep writing. Thanks so much. You're all wonderful!

Legal Note: Don't own Teen Titans in any form. Wish I did. Don't sue me, NYU has all my money.

* * *

Raven sat on her bed trembling. What had happened? The ease with which she had begun to lose control terrified her. How could she continue controlling this? Should she tell the other Titans? 

_No_._ I can't tell the other Titans. What would they do if they knew my past? The ramifications of my very existence. I am a half-demon. I am the daughter of the master of evil. And while I'll fight that evil until the day I die, I am what I am. Slade was right about one thing, I can't run away from who–what—I am._

Raven's heart fluttered, but still felt heavy within her chest. A strong sensation of purpose washed through her gut. _Resolve_. The trembling stopped. Her body relaxed. She sighed heavily, and closed her eyes. After a few moments, she opened them, her unreadable mask back in place. But her eyes shown with the quiet intensity of one about to fight the good fight.

_But I can stand and fight._ _I _will_ stand and fight._

Out of the blue, she remembered something Azar had once told her. She longed for the comfort of Azar's voice and wisdom.

Azar had said, "Evil always wins unless good is very careful."

_I will be very careful._

_

* * *

_Beast Boy strode up to Robin's door, still not entirely recovered from the episode in the hall with Raven. Something was terribly wrong, and if there was hope of fixing it, the obsessive leader of the Titans would find a way.

* * *

Robin had been at his computer since the end of the meeting. His instincts told him that the symbol on Slade's forehead was the key to unlocking the secret of his impossible reappearance among the living. What Raven had said about Slade being dead had really rattled him, but what rattled him more was the question of how to defeat him. What would they do? Kill him again? 

Besides, Robin had already tried that, to no avail.

In his mind he resolved the questions down to the big ones: How had Slade returned? What did he want with Raven? What was his mission this time? What was that goddamn symbol? Why had Raven been branded with similar marks?

Robin pounded a tightly clenched fist on his desk. While he hadn't been entirely lucid at that point, Robin remembered the church. As he had leaned on her for support, he had seen the patches of her leotard that had been burned from her arms. He had seen the angry red patterns Slade must have put there. The markings had glowed, like fire had coursed through them, and Robin found he couldn't imagine the pain they must cause Raven. But she didn't even seem to notice. The marks had found a home in her skin.

And why did they disappear? If those were burns, where did they go? Raven could heal herself, but not so quickly and without any expenditure of effort. What the _hell_ did they mean? What were they for? Why did Slade plant them only on Raven?

The questions really just turned in an endless circle.

Beast Boy knocked. "Robin?"

Robin minimized the open windows of his computer. The masked Titan opened his door and, stepping to the side, gestured for Beast Boy to enter. "What's on your mind?"

"It's Raven..." Robin suspected that was what was on everyone's mind recently. But what had pressed Beast Boy to come to him? He waited for the story.

Beast Boy related the incident in the hallway. "Dude, normally her eyes just do that freaky red glowy thing when she gets angry. Or she blows something up. But this time, she was in some serious pain. And it was so fast! I didn't even think I'd pissed her off that badly this time."

"Raven's been through a lot, Beast Boy. And Slade's still out there waiting to come after her again at any time. If I were her, I'd be ready to lose control too."

The changeling shifted his eyes back and forth, and debated telling Robin what he had seen. What had worried him so much. He realized he had to, for Raven's sake. He was too worried to let this one go. Even though he knew if she found out he'd told on her, she'd put his head on a post outside of her room.

"But dude, when she was flipping out, she had her head kind of down. I'm not that tall, but with her bending over a little like that I could kind of see the back of her neck. There was some kind of weird, red glow coming from there and I stole a glance at it. I just wanted to make sure she wasn't hurt or anything. Robin, dude, it was bright red and glowing, and looked sort of like that thing that Slade had on his head. What the hell is that thing anyway?"

Robin thought about this. He told Beast Boy he hadn't yet identified the symbol. What he did leave out was that he had already known of the markings, however it was news to him that the markings would reappear on Raven without Slade's instigation.

The two teens stood in silence for a moment, thinking about everything. Beast Boy suggested, "Maybe Slade gave her those marks to try to control her somehow. What if he's trying to use her emotions to get at her powers for some reason?"

The masked Titan's jaw dropped. "Beast Boy, you just said something intelligent."

"No way! Seriously? Yes! Go Beast Boy, you're a smart one–"

"Give it a rest." Beast Boy sobered up. Robin was impressed how serious the green kid could be sometimes. Sometimes he felt Beast Boy was very protective of Raven, especially after what had happened to Terra.

"So what should we do?"

Robin replied almost casually, "I'll have a talk with her. See what she might know about all of this. In the meantime, we'll just have to keep a close eye on her. I worry mostly about what this has done to her mentally."

"Me too."

The two boys stood uncomfortably for a moment, before Beast Boy excused himself. The door slid shut behind the changeling with a quiet whoosh, leaving the Boy Wonder alone once more in his room.

He would talk to Raven. But first, he would decipher that symbol on Slade's forehead.

* * *

Yay, another really fun chapter to write. Especially because I have NO IDEA what the plot is going to be. I love suspense. Hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! As always, open to suggestions. 


	6. Author's Note

Wow, it really has been a long time since I've worked on this story. I'm so sorry to all the wonderful people who have reviewed this story. NYU finals suck something horrible, and I've been quite distracted trying not to fail school. Though I did manage to fail two classes.

Anyhoosle, point being, since it is now summer, I plan to work a lot on this story, and as soon as I have some vague idea where to go with it, I'm hoping it'll just shoot out of my head. I might even get an update done tonight.

Hang in there, everyone. Sorry about how long it's been. I'm a miserable author.


	7. Of Hellfire

Summary: Post-Birthmark. Can life just go back to "normal" for the Teen Titans? Or will the admittance of the deeply-buried and long-denied make it impossible for Raven to conceal the truth of her destiny?

Author's Note: Wow, long time no update. I apologize for that. You've all been such good readers, and I love hearing from you. I just suck at living, and NYU finals slaughtered my very soul. My apologies, I hope this chapter doesn't let you down. I think it's my best so far. )

Legal Note: Don't own Teen Titans in any form. Wish I did. Don't sue me, NYU has all my money.

* * *

Robin jolted awake. Was it morning? He had no idea. All he knew was how badly his back and neck ached. When he discovered that he had fallen asleep with his head on his computer desk, he understood why. _I really need to work on this 'going to bed' thing_, he thought.

The conversation with Beast Boy the night before drifted back to him, and Robin remembered he'd spent the rest of the night attempting to decipher the symbol. All he'd deduced was that it was not of this world–it couldn't be–or there would have to be some record of it somewhere. And if there was,he had no clue where it could be. He decided he'd talk to Raven after breakfast. He spiked his disheveled hair, then stepped into the hallway and headed to the main room to see if Cyborg and Beast Boy were arguing over breakfast yet.

* * *

Cyborg and Starfire were peacefully co-existing as they worked to prepare their respective breakfasts. Starfire had been craving some kind of traditional Tamaranian breakfast, which Cyborg had declined the pleasure of tasting. He opted to make himself some _real _bacon and _real _eggs before the grass stain showed up.

Speak of the devil (not literally, of course, she was in her room), the green changeling dragged himself into the main room and over to the kitchen. He glanced at Cyborg's breakfast. "How can you eat things like that, tin can? That was alive at one time!" Cyborg's lack of concern for the welfare of his furry friends really bothered Beast Boy.

Cyborg grinned. "Chill out, green bean. I'm a member of PETA." (A/N: Really the 'People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals,' for those who don't know)

"Seriously? Then how can you still eat meat knowing how they murdered the animals?"

"You're jumping to conclusions. My PETA is 'People for the Eating of Tasty Animals.'"

Beast Boy, if it was possible, turned even greener. His stomach turned, and he thought he might vomit. If it hadn't been for the further desecration of the innocent creatures, he would have purposefully yacked on Cyborg's breakfast.

"For real, BB. If we're not supposed to eat animals, why are they made of meat?"

Starfire, who had been silently observing the argument between her two comrades with some distress (she wondered if she'd ever get used to all their fighting), questioned, "But please, Friend Cyborg, are not humans made of the meat too?"

Cyborg just looked puzzled. Beast Boy looked triumphant. "Thanks, Star!"

The Tamaranian lifted an eyebrow. "You are welcome?" Starfire was not sure what she was being thanked for, but at least Beast Boy seemed happy as he started making himself his usual tofu breakfast.

* * *

"_**What you have concealed you shall become**," the deep voice boomed. **"You cannot escape your destiny**."_

_Raven gagged and grabbed her throat. The fires burned around her, and Trigon's mark sparked and exploded in a suddenstring of fire. As she fled from the sound of the voice and the fires, she kept stealing glances behind her, only to find the fire following right on her heels. Suddenly Raven collided with something, and when she saw what it was, her amethyst eyes grew wide._

"_No. No! This won't happen. I won't do this. I can't do this. They're my friends!"_

_While distracted by the burning fires, Raven had run right into the tortured stone statue of Robin. Around him were the other Titans: Cyborg, Starfire, and Beast Boy. She couldn't do this to them, she couldn't stand to see them like this. There was no way she could bring this Hell to earth._

"_Oh but you will, Raven,"spokeSlade, as heemerged from behind her in a burst of the flames that had been chasing her seconds ago. Raven attempted to turn, ready to face Slade with anger burning in her heart, but before she could make a move, he placed an arm firmly around her neck, pulling her close against him. She gagged, and tried in vain to pull his arm away so she could breathe again. The feel of him so close to her made her physically sick._

"_You have no choice. The prophecy must be fulfilled, and such a glorious destiny awaits you. Think how powerful you'll be, Raven. Ruling the world at your father's side," Slade cooed._

_Burning with anger, Raven called upon her powers to blast Slade. Only...they weren't working? What? How could that be?_

"_Silly girl, your powers won't work on me. Not in here."_

_Raven's eyes grew wide. She had to get away. She could feel what was coming._

_Slade grinned, and quick as a flash had Raven turned around to face him. He held her roughly–hard enough to bruise–by both arms. "Enjoy your element, Raven. Think of it as a preview of the christening." With those words, he sent a blast of fire screeching at her body, while simultaneously calling for the burning symbols of Trigon. An instant later he was gone, leaving Raven alone._

_She didn't even notice. The marks coursed over her body, burning red and glowing as they had before. The pain from those alone was intense, causing her knees to buckle under her. But the fire, the fire was the worst. While the symbols burned her flesh, the hellfire seemingly consumed her soul. It felt as if her guts were on fire, her chest. Raven began to scream; horrible, heart-wrenching cries of pain that were carried on the arid air of..._

* * *

...her dream. Raven jolted upright in bed, her skin soaking with cold sweat and her hair hanging to hide her face. The agonized scream escaping her lips had carried over into her waking reality, and upon realizing this, Raven quickly stifled herself. She gasped for air, feeling like there wasn't enough in her room. In a moment of doubt, she checked her body for the marks. While they remained, they were fading quickly–they'd be gone completely in a moment, and with them the now unnoticeable burning. As she regained her breath, she grabbed her throat, and flinched. Slade had grabbed her. It couldn't possibly have carried over from the–

* * *

"RAVEN?" Robin, who had been on his way to the main room, pounded Raven's door. He'd heard her scream, and had taken off at top speed to find her. The rest of the team had dropped breakfast instantly, and arrived only seconds after Robin had, concern playing on all their faces.

In retrospect, Robin realized that yelling Raven's name at all was really for show, because as he finished the second syllable his steel-toed boot had connected with her door and taken it down. Starfire's hands glowed with green energy, ready to battle any intruder in Friend Raven's room, but also conveniently illuminating the interior of Raven's room–the curtains were still drawn, Raven having been asleep.

Cyborg flipped the light switch, and the room became visible. The team looked to their gothic counterpart. Raven was hunched over, the sheets still covering her legs. Her hair hung damp and limp around her face, and her forehead shimmered with a thin sheet of sweat.

Beast Boy stepped forward. "Raven...?" It was almost a whisper.

"Get out of my room."

* * *

Wow, I finally wrote another chapter! And I've tried to do things I've never really done before. I tried to improve on the dialogue, and I wanted to see if I could pull off a bit more of an action scene. I'd love to try writing some Titans battle scenes, but I figured a little practice was a good idea first. Let me know what you think! I hoped you liked it, and I apologize again for taking so long with an update. I promise to try to make updates regularly now that summer is here. Thanks for reading! 


	8. Walls

**Summary:** Post-Birthmark. Can life just go back to "normal" for the Teen Titans? Or will the admittance of the deeply-buried and long-denied make it impossible for Raven to conceal the truth of her destiny?

**Author's Note:** Well, last chapter I tried some action and some more dialogue, now I'm throwing both those things to the wind for a total change of pace and am trying my hand at a bit of...fluff! But I think it fits with the story. Let me know what you think! Hope you like it. ) After a quick legal note, and some thanks, on with the story!

**Legal Note:** Don't own Teen Titans in any form. Wish I did. Don't sue me, NYU has all my money.

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* * *

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**scathac's warrior:** Heehee, I was hoping the last line would be a bit of a kicker. Glad you liked it. )

**mysti-eyed: **Thanks for the review! That was one of my favorite chapters to write too, so glad you liked it.

**Jordanals: **Haha, glad you didn't give up on me. I actually owe that last chapter to you because of the one review you left me that was like it's been almost two months! I was like, oh wow, maybe I should work on my fic. So I dedicate this chapter to you, for getting me all motivated again. Thanks a ton!

**Kool-Wolf: **Hope that was fast enough for you. Heehee. Don't hate me because I'm evil.

**ray1: **Thanks. I'm trying to stress how tortured she is by the whole thing, because I feel like destroying the world against your will is kind of...stressful. Haha. Glad you like it!

**AngeloftheSecondHell: **I completely agree with you. I think it would take something pretty disturbing to get Raven to bust out her secrets to anyone. Hope I meet your expectations, and thanks for the wonderful review!

**AvatarAang: **Hmm, I respectfully disagree. I don't think I have her acting as a witch, but I appreciate your opinion and I'll try to keep a watch out for that. If you could tell me where you think she seems more witch-like, let me know and I'd love to go back and edit that part. I plan to edit this story a little anyway, at least after I finish it. Thanks for the constructive review!

**evilsangle: **Glad you like it. I actually now think it will be BbxRae. I didn't post pairings at all to begin with because I really wasn't sure, and at the beginning I really thought it would be Raven/Robin, but I felt like I was underestimating the depth of BB's character. I think Raven and Robin understand each other, but I think the BB and Raven pairing seems more natural.

**Little Red Ravenhood: **Thanks! Here's more. )

* * *

"Get out of my room."

The four Titans were taken aback not only by their friend's appearance, but by the icy tone in her voice. She sounded cold, but even more frightening she sounded ready to break. Fragile. Delicate.

Afraid. Very afraid.

Beast Boy, having been told by the resident goth girl under numerous circumstances to leave her alone, was perhaps a little less phased by her order than the others. He often felt the need to defy everything Raven said, not only to irritate the piss out of her, but because sometimes he sensed she needed someone to push through her walls. "Raven...? Are you o–"

"I _said_ get out." Raven remained unmoving on her bed. She could feel the shallowness of her breaths, and the quick, butterfly-beatings of her heart. Their eyes, they felt piercing on her. She could feel the concern emanating from them. But she didn't know how much longer she could hold herself together. And she couldn't tell them, not yet.

No one moved. No one breathed.

Time passed. Seconds felt like hours to the half-demon Titan. She couldn't stand it anymore, she was going to go crazy–

The sound of an explosion drew the Titan's attention and broke the silence. Black magic had popped the light bulb in the overhead light.

This occurrence brought Robin to his senses. Still, he spoke softly, almost regretfully. "Fine. We'll go." With that, the four turned slowly, reluctantly, and headed for the door. Beast Boy lagged behind, stealing glances over his shoulder at his ailing teammate. Robin had an eye for the green mischief maker, and ensured he was out of Raven's room before capturing a last look for himself of the broken girl who seemed so much like she was waiting for her own doom.

Raven heard the quiet footsteps of their exit, and listened for them to recede into the other noises of the tower. For a few moments she remained still, before bending her legs and resting her chin on her knees still buried beneath her blankets. Her eyes to the unknowing observer seemed blank, and her mouth turned down at the corners slightly. They were gone. Some distant part of her, she realized, had wanted them to stay. An ironic smile crossed her face, and her eyes visibly saddened.

All the people she'd ever known, befriended–loved–would be destroyed precisely because she had known them, cared for them. Brought them into this. And no matter what she did, she couldn't stop selfishly needing their companionship.

For that, they would all die.

Her smile deteriorated as she bit her lower lip to avoid sobbing. At the same time, her eyes brimmed with tears. She hugged her legs closer to her body, and hid her face in her arms, which now rested on her knees. No, she wouldn't cry. She wouldn't.

The darkness of the room found her, and held her close in its arms.

* * *

This was going to set back his discussion with Raven. Robin felt it a wise idea to hold off until she had some time to calm down, though the investigator in him responded that now she was weak, and it would not be difficult to glean any necessary information from her. He scolded himself for the thought, and reminded himself that Raven was foremost a friend.

But he worried that what was coming to pass would shake the Titans for a very long time. Worst, Raven was somehow the key.

* * *

Beast Boy had returned to his room for show only. When he was sure Robin or Cyborg hadn't bested him, he morphed into a fly, and began a long (to a fly, anyway) journey back to Raven's room. The fly wasn't one of Beast Boy's favorite things to be, because it incited a great deal of paranoia, at least until he landed. The buzzing just sounded so _loud_ to him. He had to keep convincing himself that no one else could hear it.

He slipped under the door to Raven's room, and flew up to the ceiling and into a corner as fast as possible. If he was caught, it would be all six of his legs and probably his thorax.

What he saw disturbed him. Beast Boy watched as the emotionless goth's face changed from blank, to a sad smile, and finally to the expression of someone who just found out they had not a friend in the world. Her amethyst eyes watered, and she curled up into herself. Her shoulders shook as she took deep breaths, trying not to cry, trying to regain control.

Who was he? Wasn't he Beast Boy, the ever cheery changling? It was his sworn duty to make Raven smile, or at least not let her suffer alone like this. Even as his mind screamed he was signing his death warrant, Beast Boy jumped from his fly position on the wall and morphed mid-air, landing on two feet as a green boy.

Raven exhaled. Without having to look up she knew who it was. She calmed her body, and remained still. Some distant voice in her mind hoped if she didn't move, she'd be invisible.

"Raven...?"

She raised her face to look at him, and there he was, by the edge of her bed, staring at her with eyes wide with concern. Raven rested her chin on her knees again, but Beast Boy's brave act of intrusion warmed her heart. Warmed it just enough to allow a single tear to lose itself from the corner of her eye. She touched it with a delicate fingertip, stopping it in its tracks. Her face turned down to examine it, her eyes childlike and wide with wonder. Beast Boy wondered when the last time she'd cried–really cried–was, if she ever had.

"Raven...please. What's wrong?" he implored softly.

Her pale face turned back to face him, and for a moment their eyes met, amethyst sparkling in a green field. Raven couldn't hold it anymore, and a loud sob escaped her already parched throat. She lowered her head, and choked out with as much control as she could muster, "Me."

There was a moment filled with nothing but Raven's sniffling. Now it was Beast Boy who could no longer stand it. Moving swiftly, he wrapped his arms around her, cradling her against his chest. He closed his eyes, waiting for her to reject him. Instead, he was surprised and comforted when Raven shifted and wrapped her arms around his back, pressing her face into his chest and sobbing.

Raven was _sobbing_.

Beast Boy held her until her sobs settled and she calmed. Raven, already feeling a little better, was taking great strength from the green boy's steady breathing and heartbeat. He was so warm, and she felt so cold.

Beast Boy shifted an arm to brush an errant strand of purple hair from her pale forehead. Glancing down, he noticed she–strong, steady, unshakeable, untouchable Raven–had fallen asleep in his arms.

* * *

All done! Not much of a cliffy this time, a little anti-climatic, but I thought I'd go with something a little more peaceful this time. Thought maybe Rae could use a little tranquility before I begin to make my best attempts to crush her soul. ) 


	9. Truth's Slippery Dance

**Summary**: Post-Birthmark. Can life just go back to "normal" for the Teen Titans? Or will the admittance of the deeply-buried and long-denied make it impossible for Raven to conceal the truth of her destiny?

**Author's Note**: Well, that was better than the last time I left everyone hanging. It was only about a month. dodges flying objects What can I say? I've been busy camping and seeing my old high school friends most of the summer. Doesn't leave a whole lot of time for writing fanfic. Plus, I have dial-up at home, and I'm used to my T3 or whatever at school. God, dial-up is frustrating.

**Legal Note**: Don't own Teen Titans in any form. Wish I did. Don't sue me, NYU has all my money.

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**ray1**: Yeah, I think Raven just really needs someone to break down her walls to a certain extent, and force her to let them in. And of the characters, I think Beast Boy is most likely to do that. As for Robin, I'm not really sure. I think the boy is desperately confused, and based on the show (I have seen all three parts of _The End_) has a problem with pimping. I'm trying to play him as such, where it's hard to tell him he likes her romantically or not. I'm not sure he's the kind to really make a move on anyone, unlike Beast Boy who tries to be suave and woo the ladies. Anyway, thanks for your review! Hope you like this chapter.

**scathac's warrior**: Of them all, I think I prefer BB/Rae, but I don't care as long as the pairings are made to make sense. And I thought I was going to give her a hella good dose of torment this time, but I guess that'll be next chapter. MWAHAHAHAHA ahem

**evilsangle**: I'm sorry! Don't hate me. I didn't really start this fic intending there to be a lot of fluff anyway, and I still don't think there will be, but if it's anything, it will probably be BB/Rae. Sorry again.

**SxStrngSamurai13**: Thanks a ton! I'm glad you liked it, and I totally agree about BB being the kind to disregard common sense. Hope you like this chapter!

**GS Dragono**: Wow, that's one of the best reviews I've ever gotten, and I thank you for it. But I agree with you; I'm not a huge fan of any Raven couple, because I think she's got too many issues to ever let herself really be in a relationship. And fluff with her in it doesn't usually work out for me. I hope I can keep you interested, thanks for your review!

**Kool-Wolf**: Here's an update for you. It's been about a month. Better than last time, eh? ) Hope it was worth the wait.

* * *

While Beast Boy, being quite the heavy sleeper himself, was not necessarily tired, his concern for the peacefully sleeping violet-haired girl in his arms overruled whatever desire he might have been feeling to continue about his day. Raven had, after all, awoken in the morning as the other Titans made breakfast. No one could blame her for her recently abnormal sleeping habits, especially not after the previous night when some of the horror of her nightmares had made its way into reality through her anguished screams and appearance. The Titans could only wonder what the dream had been about or why it had terrified Raven so badly, but at that moment all Beast Boy was conscious of was his concern and gratitude that Raven now rested peacefully. That her rest should take place in his arms was a fringe benefit.

Gently, Beast Boy shifted in such a way that he could lay Raven down on her bed. Her back had been elevated and he'd wondered a little about how comfortable her neck had been considering the way her head rested on his chest. But now she appeared comfortably back in bed, and she shifted into the fetal position once Beast Boy had disentangled himself from her. He pulled the dark, silk blankets up to Raven's shoulders, then stopped to gaze at the girl. She was so damn innocent-looking when she wasn't awake to keep that despicably blank expression on her face. Without thinking, he brushed a strand of her hair back from her face.

What the hell was that? The green changling angled himself over his sleeping companion, being careful not to disturb her, and drew closer to examine what he now saw encircling her neck. There was a red ring of angered flesh, looking almost as if it had been burned away. Even as he watched he could see the quickened healing processes of Raven's body do its work, and he knew that already the mark had healed greatly since her screams. He began to wonder how any of them could have missed them, and had to chalk it up to the way Raven had been sitting up in bed, with her face down and her hair hanging protectively around her like a veil. What could have done this? Was it possible the mark had something to do with her dream? Who had done that to her? When could he kill them?

Beast Boy worked to set his alarm aside. His initial reaction was to wake her up and demand an explanation immediately, so that he could set about protecting her from...well, that's what he needed to know. Instead, he chose the road of guarded passivity, and morphed into a golden retriever–or, rather, a green retriever–and flopped comfortably at the bottom of her bed, to continue his watch over her and to protect her from whatever may plague her nightmares or, quite possibly, from herself.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Raven awoke. Her sleep had been refreshing and dreamless, for a change. She shifted in bed, about to throw her feet off the edge to the floor, when she lightly kicked a furry green lump at the bottom of her bed. Leaning forward in surprise to take a better look, she found her friendly neighborhood shape-shifter curled up and apparently sleeping during his watch. Raven frowned, albeit with affection dancing in her eyes. Remembering her previous surge into consciousness caused Raven's hands to fly to her neck. Feeling nothing, she sighed with relief. Now she just had to hope Beast Boy had not seen the mark of Slade's strangulation when they were still present. The green boy wasn't the most observant person ever, so Raven was going to attempt to remain optimistic on that count. Shifting very quietly, and going against her better judgement (he would be alone in her room when he woke up, after all), she left the dog to sleep comfortably at the bottom of her bed, while she ventured into the kitchen for some herbal tea.

She just prayed that she would not encounter any of her teammates on her mission.

* * *

So of course, the first thing that happened was an encounter with Robin as he turned the corner on his way to the training room. Raven sighed. Of the three Titans she knew it was possible to run into at that moment, Robin had been the lowest on her list of ones she wished to speak to.

"Hey Raven, how're you feeling?" questioned the Boy Wonder, with a combination of a forced smile and worry etched in his face.

"Super." She continued walking. Maybe he'd get the hint.

"I think you and I should talk about some things," Robin attempted to make his order a suggestion first.

"I disagree." Her voice raised to a warning.

"Raven..." the girl continued walking, and Robin, becoming annoyed with her, took desperate measures to grab her attention. With a quick motion, he leaned forward and flung his arm out, catching her arm in his hand. "Hey Raven?" She remained motionless. "Raven!"

This last exclamation of her name caused Raven to turn and face him. Her face neutral, she regarded her leader. "What?"

Jesus, having conversation with her was frustrating. "I want us to talk. Right now. There are some things I know you're not telling me, and in order to have any kind of chance at defeating...whatever the hell it is we're up against, I'm going to require a certain amount of answers."

There, he had made his demands. He implored her with his hidden eyes to just accept this, and not give him a lot of shit. The conversation would be had regardless.

Raven heaved a sigh, and continued to stare at him blankly. No, there would be no way to further deter the Boy Blunder, and she found herself dreading the discussion of her previous nightmare. Her own vulnerability to the entreaties of her father and Slade was not something she was particularly proud of, and it provided a large discontinuity in her otherwise unshakeable exterior. Slaughtering her friends by denying her fear after watching _Wicked Scary_ had been bad enough, but this time the slaughter would be for real, unleashed by _all _of her negative emotions, and the Titans would rue the day Raven had formed the team. She remembered imploring the Justice League to work with her, but being rejected when Zatanna sensed the evil residing within her soul. Since none of the four other Titans possessed powers similar to hers or Zatanna's, none of them could see the evil she harbored, that she would one day rain upon the universe. What would they say when this was all finally revealed? Would they shun her as the Justice League had?

All this crossed her mind in a flash, the result leaving her lips as a simple and somewhat frustrated, "Fine. But first I require herbal tea." Robin responded with a nod and followed Raven into the main room. Starfire was in the kitchen harvesting some of her fungus for a Tamaranean dish she wished to fix for dinner later, and upon seeing Raven flew excitedly over to crush her with a hug. Reaching her friend, Starfire thought better of it, and instead hovered right in front of Raven, bouncing up and down happily.

"Friend Raven! I am happy to see you are okay! Would you like me to make you some of the traditional Tamaranean–"

"No, Starfire. It's okay. Just some herbal tea."

The alien's face fell, but only slightly, then she bounced off to continue working with her fungus. Raven fixed herself some herbal tea, then Robin and Raven excused themselves. Not that they really had to, as the exuberant alien princess was bustling in the kitchen and making a royal mess of things. Unlike Beast Boy, however, Starfire would clean her mess up.

Robin and Raven found themselves in the Tower's meeting room. Robin gestured at one of the five chairs around the table. Raven seated herself, and Robin sat down in a chair beside her. Silence ensued, as the two surveyed each other, one preparing to burst through some walls and the other fortifying against most attacks. Finally, Raven leaned back comfortably and crossed her right leg over her left. She sipped at her tea. Robin rested an elbow on the armrest and supported his chin on his hand. His brow furrowed, and he began softly.

"What aren't you telling me, Raven?"

_Really, what am I telling you, Robin?_ she thought, but kept this leading question to herself. Instead, she sipped her tea again before smiling sweetly and replying, "I'm an empath, Robin, not a damn psychic. Would you care to be more specific?" She was purposefully trying to put him off, and letting him know that his traditional questioning techniques would not work on her.

Robin sighed. Oh yes, this was going to be a good time. In retrospect, he'd have much rather shoved his head into a beehive and started blowing on all the bees. "Fine. If you want this to take place in "question and answer" format, then so be it. But Raven, I'm your friend. I'm worried about you. I want to help you fight whatever it is that you're fighting, and I can't do that if you refuse to help me help you."

Raven pondered this entreaty without changing her facial expression. "It's just difficult for me to begin explaining anything unless you ask me a specific question." She chose to meet him halfway.

"Okay. Let's start with that mark on Slade's forehead. Do you know what it is?"

The bluntness of his first question caught her slightly off-guard, but she recovered quickly and thought of the best answer to give him. "It is the mark of a great and ancient other-dimensional evil. Remember me telling you that Slade is dead?"

Robin nodded, and Raven continued thoughtfully, picking and choosing her words carefully, desperate not to lead herself anywhere she didn't want to go. "That is how he lives. That mark on his forehead means he is now but a messenger to this greater evil. Little of the real Slade remains."

"Then why do you have the same marks, Raven?"

Raven was taken aback, shocked momentarily by the Boy Wonder's bold statement. Her eyes shifted back and forth for a moment, as she searched for an answer. She could sense that he knew, but Raven, being a very powerful empath, was also able to sense his emotions like a temperature change, and the doubt he had in his own question leaked from him like heat from a single candle on an iceberg in the middle of the Arctic Ocean.

"What are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about." Her momentary stumble had reassured him in this course of questioning.

Shit. She'd played her cards wrong. Really, little damage would be done here anyway, so she chose to throw the bird a seed. "As I said Slade is a messenger. The symbol was likely passed on to me from him as some kind of message."

"What do you know about the marks on you and Slade? Are they used for control, as a threat to you, or as something claiming you?"

Raven chewed her lower lip thoughtfully. "On Slade I would imagine the mark keeps him in his current state, and binds him to his new master. Like a branding, it marks Slade as a piece of property. But on me, the marks have no effect of control."

Robin gave her a dubious look. Raven sighed.

"Look, if I had the marks in the church–" Robin registered surprise at her mention of the church. She caught his unspoken question and continued, "Yes, I knew that you saw them. At the time there wasn't a whole lot I could do to conceal them. Anyway, if I had those marks in the church, and I wasn't being controlled, then you would agree that it's logical that the runes do not control me, right?" Robin nodded. "Most likely a message then."

"What's the message?"

"I don't know."

Robin narrowed his eyes at her, but when she returned the gaze with her defiant amethyst eyes, he chose to give her the benefit of the doubt. Thus far, he'd been given some of the information he felt he needed.

"When Beast Boy angered you in the hallway outside your room, he said he saw the mark then, on the back of your neck." Robin paused, and gave Raven a moment to absorb this change in his tactics. Raven herself seemed quite surprised at this new piece of information on the table from Robin. She had known the symbol had shown, but the fact that baby-shit green had seen it and ratted her out made her temporarily lose her composure. Robin saw this flash of surprise and other emotions cross his friend's face and eyes. "Why did the mark return, Raven? This whole thing has something specifically to do with you, and I want to know what it is."

Raven shifted uncomfortably in her chair. She uncrossed then re-crossed her legs, this time left over right. In the end, Raven chose honesty. "That's a question I'm not yet willing to answer." Her voice was bold and final, firm and unrelenting. Robin knew when he was defeated, and exhaled.

"Why is this 'greater evil' after you, Raven? Why were you the only one given the marks, the only one Slade pursued, the only one having nightmares?" Raven opened her mouth to protest, but Robin waved his hand and quieted her. "I know you, and I know that the nightmare you had last night was not just a revisiting of what happened on your birthday. You saw something new, and you're afraid it's going to come true. What is it, Raven? What could possibly have you so afraid that you can't tell your friends what's wrong so we can help you?"

There was no answer to this question that would satisfy him, and both of them knew it. Any attempts Raven could have made to answer it were, however, cut off by the Tower's siren screaming trouble.

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I think that was my longest chapter yet! I'm kind of proud of myself, even if I'm not a big fan of this chapter. I hope you guys all liked it though, and as always, suggestions for improvement are welcome. 


	10. Lessons in Defiance

**Summary**: Post-Birthmark. Can life just go back to "normal" for the Teen Titans? Or will the admittance of the deeply-buried and long-denied make it impossible for Raven to conceal the truth of her destiny?

**Author's Note**: This was by far the most fun I've had writing a chapter yet. Trying to come up with the mechanics of a battle scene is especially difficult. Not only do the physical reactions have to be accurate, but then you have to try to keep the character's true to themselves via physical action, which seems to be harder than with just speech. Anyway, I had a good time, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

I'd also like to point out that as I post this chapter I've got 69 reviews. giggles mischievously like a school girl Just because I'm in college, doesn't mean I have to grow up. )

**Legal Note**: Don't own Teen Titans in any form. Wish I did. Don't sue me, NYU has all my money.

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**scathac's warrior**: You know me far too well, my friend. Fight scene it is! The dream was in Chapter 6 "Of Hellfire." Thanks for reading! 

**ray1**: I actually agree, but I'm not going to lie, I totally ran out of dialogue for the two of them that didn't interfere with what little I wanted her to say. So I tried to do a mix of her giving in and staying firm to procrastinate for time, and end up with it seeming like more was said that really was. And of course, the alarm is always an easy to cut short any conversation. Thanks for the review! Constructive criticism makes me get better.

**Angel Caida**: Sure will, and here it is! ) Hope you like it.

**mysti-eyed**: Glad you liked it, and I hope the answers satisfied you. Thanks for reading!

**GS Dragono**: I also read the comics. ;) I've got _The New Teen Titans Archives Vol. 2_, and I've read the back-stories on all the characters, so I guess it's a combo. I try to make the story a bit of a combo between the show and the comics, but I think it makes it hard to write in character sometimes. Thanks for the review, hope you like this chapter.

**Kool-Wolf**: Don't be hatin'. Here's an update for ye.

**AngeloftheSecondHell**: I greatly enjoyed the analogy about "revealing secrets like the white house surveillance tapes after watergate." It made my day. Thank you very much for your review, and I'm so glad to hear that I've reached a middle ground. The swearing thing especially, because we all know real teenagers don't walk around, stub their toe, and yell, "Crud!" Wrong. We all know almost anyone, teen or not, will yell, "Damn!" or "Shit!" I don't know, I agree though, it's one of my pet peeves too, and I'm glad you think I'm doing it right. Here's a little something to fix that summer boredom, I hope.

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Crowded around the screen in the Tower's main room, the team assessed the threat level of Jump City's latest disturbance. It was a bank robbery by what appeared to be some run-of-the-mill hooligans looking for some money and a thrill who now happened to be in a stand-off with the police. Naturally hostages were involved. Robin absorbed the information, and prepared to give his instructions to the team with a hand to his chin and a furrowed brow. 

"Alright. No supervillains, I don't think the entire team is needed," he stated, and the rest of the Titans nodded their agreement. "Raven and Starfire, you two stay here and keep an eye on the Tower."

Starfire seemed disappointed by the order; the Tamaranean princess was from a warrior planet, and the lost prospect of battle slightly lowered the girl's spirits. But she accepted with a nod, and perhaps she and Friend Raven could spend some time together!

Raven was even less happy than Starfire to be remaining home, and began to protest coldly, "Robin, I do not need to be babied–"

"No arguments, Raven. Stay here with Starfire and guard the Tower. You didn't get much sleep last night anyway," Robin ordered, efficiently ending the conversation. Raven narrowed her eyes, and without another word, swept her deep blue cloak in front of her, disappearing into the floor in a wave of dark magic.

The other Titans gave each other a look, and Beast Boy shrugged. Robin hesitated, but sounded the cry, "Titans, GO!" Starfire remained in the main room, floating absently above the floor, staring at the door which had just closed behind the boys. She turned towards the hallway, and sighed, doubting her chances of talking Raven into the painting of the toenails with her.

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Raven, back in her room, was attempting to contain her annoyance with the Boy Blunder. The information she had provided was not meant as a reason for him to coddle her, or keep her from battle because of some unfounded fear that she'd have a run in with Slade. And that's what this was about–Robin was looking for Slade under every rock again, projecting him into places where he wouldn't be found. A fucking bank robbery, and he's looking for some ploy by Slade to distract them and grab her. He didn't have to say it; she could read it on his face, and feel the paranoia rush off of him in waves. 

Meditation had been difficult lately, but at the moment her need to keep her emotions in check outweighed the potential consequences. Raven paced in long strides, followed in her turns by frightful swishes of her long, indigo cloak. Abruptly she ceased her pacing, and folded her legs beneath her, levitating and touching her middle finger and thumb together. Breathing in deeply, she began her mantra.

"Azarath, Metreon, Zinthos. Azarath, Metreon Zinthos," Raven began to feel calmer immediately, and felt the familiar feeling of being swept into the confines of her own mind. At first there was only darkness, but then her feet alighted on the solid rock of Nevermore's landscape. Everything appeared normal, as normal as Raven's mind could ever be anyway. But then a fire appeared right before her eyes, and she knew the fire was not in her mind, but in the waking world.

Gasping with the effort and disruption of her trance, Raven's eyes flew open in reality, and her concentration thus disturbed, she fell to the floor of her room. Rubbing her bottom and looking up, she saw the man who she hadn't needed to see with her eyes to know he was there: Slade. He had appeared in a burst of flames, much the way Raven disappeared and reappeared with her dark magic.

"Slade," Raven spat, "Ever hear of knocking?" Her hands began to glow with her power.

"Raven," Slade taunted, "Ever hear of 'hello?'"

"What the hell do you want?" she demanded angrily, already knowing what he wanted.

"Quite a pun there, Raven. Hell is exactly what I want. But alas, I am just the messenger," he answered without really answering. "It is time for me to convince you of your fate." Slade's fists glowed with fire power, and he raised them to strike out at Raven. He threw his arms forward to attack–

_Knock, knock, knock_. A pause. "Friend Raven?" Starfire stood outside of Raven's door, excitedly bouncing around and hoping her friend would participate in some strange earthly customs with her.

Slade and Raven both froze. Raven's face twisted with horror, while Slade's mouth turned up in a one-sided grin. Raven shook her head, imploring Slade to wait until Starfire left, but knew her plea for mercy from Slade on this point was hopeless.

Starfire grew curious, and knocked again. "Friend Raven, are you there? I wish for us to partake in the–" A noise from inside interrupted her sentence.

Raven and Slade had both simultaneously flown for the door; Slade with the intention of taking Starfire quickly out of the picture, thereby proving his lack of mercy, and Raven to stop Slade from whatever he had been planning at Starfire's expense. Slade was closer to the door than Raven was, and naturally made it there before she did. But when he found no one in the doorway, he took the opportunity to use Raven's quick move and unguarded stance to begin his lessons. As Raven headed swiftly for the doorway, she saw suddenly that Starfire was not there, and realized she was barreling right into Slade's grasp. Slade grabbed Raven by the neck of her cloak before she could block and, spinning his body, used her forward momentum to heave her devastatingly hard into the wall of the hallway.

Raven hit hard on her back, her neck rolling upward until her head connected with the wall, causing chunks of the plaster to fall around her. She gave a small cry, before sliding down to the floor. Before she hit the floor however, Slade had a hold of her. He'd grabbed her with his left arm, his fingers laced into the fabric of her cape, and his forearm supporting her along her collarbone. Her feet dangled about a foot off the ground.

Starfire, who had heard the sound of both Raven and Slade making their dives for the door, had skipped quickly to the side before either of the two had burst through. At first all she saw was Raven fly out into the hallway and, unbeknownst to Raven, had called her name in surprise. The next thing Starfire saw from her viewpoint off to the side was Slade pinning Raven to the wall, and she watched for a second as Slade raised his fiery right first to deliver a crushing blow to Raven's face. In the slow motion reel the mind creates during any scene of danger, Starfire saw Raven's face, and saw the girl's momentary fear turn into defiance before she closed her eyes to accept the blow.

But Starfire would have none of it. In a swift motion, Starfire moved forward and grabbed Slade's right arm. Using her unusual Tamaranean strength she bent it back impossibly far, and used it as leverage to twist Slade around and slam him head-first into the doorway of Raven's room. Raven had slid to the floor again when Slade had released her, but was up in an instant.

"Thanks, Star." The two girls had little time for conversation–Slade was already rising from his place on the floor, cracking bones back into place, and standing. Starfire stared in awe as Slade rose, and Raven looked on wearily.

"Silly boys. I see they left the women to fend for themselves." Both girls glared daggers, but made no reply. Arguing over sexism was not their foremost objective, and they knew Slade was doing it purposefully to anger them, in hopes they'd make a hasty attack. Instead, they gritted their teeth and prepared for battle.

Slade's conversationalist side was not easily subdued, however. "Have you told her your destiny yet, Raven?" He flicked his eyes to the side, indicating Starfire. "Or are you still in the business of trading lies?"

Starfire's green eyes flickered briefly to normal, before returning to their powered state. Raven flinched, and if possible, glared even more. Through her teeth she warned, "Shut up, Slade. Leave her out of this. This is between you and me. Let her go."

"As always Raven, concealing the truth," Slade pushed on. "Always endangering your friends with your secrets, ending the world," Slade sneered, before continuing and finding firm footing on his soap box, using his rhythmic voice to his advantage. "You brought them into this, Raven. The day you brought this team together you knew. You knew what you would one day do them. That one day you would far surpass the treachery of Terra–"

He had done it. Raven shot forward in anger at the comparison of herself to Terra. She had hated Terra, she had known not to trust her. The comparison of herself to Terra hit close to home, for she, as was Terra, was destined to betray her friends. Raven had known from the beginning, and had hated the girl in part because of the similarities she saw to herself. But Terra's memory burned the most because the blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty had had a chance to redeem herself, winning her goodness back in the end.

Raven knew her story was doomed to end in betrayal without redemption. What would there be to redeem? The world would be ended.

Her hands encased in dark energy and her eyes glowing white, Raven threw several quick punches in Slade's direction, all of which he blocked easily. Slade kicked out a foot, catching Raven's with his own, and flipped her hard onto the ground. As he bent over her, Starfire made her assault on him with a barrage of starbolts, the first several of which hit their mark. Raven rolled back into a crouch away from the line of fire and Slade. Starfire dived right for Slade, and managed to catch him and slam him backwards into the floor. As Slade hit the floor on his back, he grabbed Starfire's arms and, again using momentum to his advantage, flipped over his shoulders with her, sufficiently disorienting her. With a final kick to her abdomen he launched her upwards. Starfire let out a shrill, "Eeeeee!" before she crashed loudly into the ceiling, then falling to the floor with a groan.

"Azarath Metreon Zinthos!" Two large chunks of the wall that had fallen due to Slade's previous run-in with it glowed in a black aura and rose off the ground. Slade had a moment to widen his one good eye before the two chunks smashed together, trapping him between them. In less than a second, Slade had burst through the two of them in a blaze of fiery glory, sending flying debris in all directions. Raven blocked herself with a shield of her magic, and kept the shield up as Slade advanced on her suddenly, attempting to kick and punch his way through her defenses. Raven blocked every one, until she heard Starfire stir behind him, and made the mistake of looking over his shoulder.

Her reward for her lack of attention was a quick uppercut to her chin, which sent her reeling off balance. After a couple of hurried steps she'd regained her footing, but not before Slade had begun pummeling her anew. Hit once, she could not seem to recover, and took a barrage of hits to her stomach and face before Slade landed a fist to her right cheek hard enough to send her spinning to the floor. She landed face down, hands planted with fingers spread to either side of her shoulders, and her legs twisted slightly in the direction which she had been standing.

Slade loomed over her. Raven groaned and spit out a healthy helping of blood before turning her weary but still defiant gaze up to meet his.

"Had enough yet, Raven? It would be much easier for you if you would just come with me willingly, and accept your glorious destiny." Slade was such a smug son of a bitch, even for a dead man.

Starfire, who had shakily regained her footing, fired a series of starbolts at Slade's back. She felt that had to have at least injured him enough for she and Friend Raven to escape to safety. Starfire squinted into the dust cloud where Slade had been standing.

"I tire of your interference!" shouted Slade angrily, as he flew out of the dust at Starfire, about to land a finishing blow to the surprised red-head. His fist was raised over his head and glowed with fire. Raven, seeing this with horror, ghosted from her place on the floor to a position between Starfire and Slade's fist.

Slade's fist of fury landed directly on Raven's energy shield, and Raven let out a scream as her energy shattered around her, and the majority of Slade's fiery attack made it's way straight for her. The flames engulfed her, and blew her backwards onto the floor. Raven lay sprawled on her back, gasping for air, her muscles aching. Her head bled where she had hit the floor this time; there had been a jagged piece of Titan's Tower where her head had landed, creating a large gash in the back of her head. Her vision flirted with stars in wavering blackness. She screamed from the pain; Slade's fire attack burned more than anything she had ever experienced. Starfire was in a similar position–completely immobilized, but still quite conscious, thanks to Raven taking the brunt of Slade's anger. Her arm was very likely broken in at least two places because of how she'd landed on it, but her burns were relatively minor.

Finding himself somewhat disappointed not to have ended Starfire, Slade took consolation in the fact that this battle was over. As much as he enjoyed fighting the Titans, playing around with them was sometimes a bit tedious. He walked slowly over to Raven, and grabbed a handful of her short, violet hair. He lifted her slightly up off the floor to force her to look at him, causing Raven to emit a scream of agony. Her hair pulled on her head wound excruciatingly, and she felt the blood drip in a miniature river down the back of her neck and into her leotard. "Couldn't do it the easy way, could you?" Her vision swam with the pain, but she gritted her teeth to keep from screaming again. When Raven said nothing, Slade dropped her head back to the ground–although he gave it a slight push–causing her vision to swirl and finally the blackness overtook her, and swept her downward into the primal abyss of painless unconsciousness.

Had Starfire's throat not been so scratchy from the fire, she might have protested. Slade kneeled, and pulled Raven into his arms bridal style with surprising care. Starfire wondered why he hadn't just killed both of them, and what he needed Raven for. Noticing she was awake, Slade turned and walked to Starfire. Before she could speak, Slade was looking down on her. "Good night, Princess." With that, his foot crashed onto her head.

Starfire saw nothing more.

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That was a good time. In the next chapter, people worry. 

I know, wasn't that an awesome spoiler? Because ya'll hadn't figured that one out yet. I'm evil! Teehee. )


	11. Surprise Package

**Summary**: Post-Birthmark. Can life just go back to "normal" for the Teen Titans? Or will the admittance of the deeply-buried and long-denied make it impossible for Raven to conceal the truth of her destiny?

**Author's Note**: Well here's chapter 10. Sorry it took so long to get posted, but computer issues and all that jazz. My old lappy got struck by lightning (no seriously) and was almost fried, so now there's a new one. But that whole explanation is at the bottom in case anyone actually wants to read it. Enjoy!

**Legal Note**: Don't own Teen Titans in any form. Wish I did. Don't sue me, NYU has all my money.

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**ray1:** Yeah, I don't think the rest of the team is going to be very happy, especially when/if Raven gets around to really telling them what happened.

**scathac's warrior: **Haha, thanks, I appreciate that. And I've read some of your TT stories, and I must say that I love your fluff.

**AngeloftheSecondHell: **I've actually read a lot of the comic books, so I have at least a pretty good idea of their back-stories. The problem is trying to fit it in with what they say on the show, because a lof of the time none of it meshes. As far as my battle scene's simplicity, I totally agree with you. It was pretty simple. However, I felt that logically it was the most that could happen considering the circumstances. Slade is overly powerful, and neither Raven nor Starfire could take to the air to fight back because they were in the hallway of the Tower. And at this point, I didn't want to bust up the Tower too badly, or take them outside.

**GS Dragono:** Season 4 was a good time.

**Sangofanatic:** Yeah, I thought about that whole "Don't hurt her; she's the portal" thing. Then I realized it's Trigon the Terrible, and he's going to use any means necessary to coerce his daughter into being the portal. Physical pain is probably a good way to make most people do just about anything, so I figured that rule didn't apply, except that he wouldn't be allowed to kill her.

**mysti-eyed:** And what's wonderful about Robin's stupidity is that he thought he'd be protecting Raven. Teehee! I sure showed him.

**Kool-Wolf:** Hope you didn't abandon me yet. Here's an update. Sorry for the wait.

**They-Call-Me-Orange:** Thanks! I love when people compliment my style; I worry about it a lot when I'm writing. Thanks so much for reviewing!

**personwithnolife: **I felt like I needed a scene with the girls doing battle together. I think in the show they sometimes underestimate Starfire and Raven's friendship, so I thought I'd go ahead and give them a fight scene. Thanks for your review, hope you keep reading!

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The doorbell to Titan's Tower rang, causing everyone to grab their communicators and check for a message. After noting that none of them had any incoming calls, they realized it must have been the doorbell.

"Goddamn it. Dudes, we've gotta get the bell changed," Beast Boy complained, as he looked up from his position on the semi-circular couch beside Cyborg. The two had been having a furious Game Station battle, but the wind had been taken out of it a bit by the interruption. Starfire had been in the kitchen yet again, poking around her blue fungus. She looked up curiously when Beast Boy spoke. Two weeks after the attack by Slade, Starfire was still not entirely healed. Her right forearm remained in a cast, supported by a sling crossed over her left shoulder. The cast itself was bright purple, matching her attire, but there were no signatures on it. Starfire would not let anyone autograph her cast until Raven was found and could sign it too.

"Is someone going to get the door, or do I have to do everything around this fucking tower?" Robin stomped into the main room, causing a round of flinches from everyone with his anger. Since Raven had disappeared, the team had done what anyone would have done for a missing colleague: searched until they were blue in the face. Everyone had different ways of dealing with Raven's unscheduled absence. Cyborg spent a lot of time in the garage working on the T-Car, telling himself that when they found her, he'd need the T-Car to right up over Slade's ass for what he'd done. Beast Boy, much to the team's surprise, seemed devastated at the loss of the girl that so often threatened his life. He moped around the house, playing video games and flicking through the channels aimless, never settling on any one station. If possible, his personal hygiene was even worse than before, and he adopted the biting sarcasm he so often complained about in Raven. Starfire, aside from missing Raven, had her recent immobilization to deal with as well. The boys could go take care of missions, but Starfire had to stay in the Tower and heal. She couldn't even go shopping. Who would she go with? The usually jubilant Starfire continued putting up the good front for the sake of her friends, but she found herself making the Tamaranean pudding of sadness much more often, and the others noticed the despair lurking behind her once sparkling green eyes.

Robin, in his usual fashion, had become downright hostile, and stubborn. Despite the team's pleas that he take a break in his search to eat, shower, or even sleep, he had exploded angrily that he would not rest until Raven was found, and he was ashamed of them for acting any other way. Beast Boy's temper had flared, and he exploded at Robin, stating that even if Raven were found, in the condition Robin was in, he wouldn't be able to fight anyway. A yelling match ensued, ending in Beast Boy storming out of the Tower to cool off for a while. The two hadn't been on the best of terms since then, the tension between them so thick it could be cut only with a high-powered chainsaw.

Beast Boy threw down his controller, and began to step towards the door. Cyborg stepped in front of him, and tried to make peace. "Yo man, chill. I'll go get the door. One of you gets there and whoever it is might leave with a black eye." Beast Boy flopped back on the couch, and Robin made his way to get a glass of water from the kitchen.

Cyborg walked to the front of the Tower, a little hurriedly. The doorbell only sounded once, and he hoped whoever it was was still waiting. Checking the security cameras, he didn't see anyone standing outside, but opened the door anyway, thinking maybe he'd see them walking away. Cyborg leaned out, sticking his head out the door, and craning his neck around to look. Then he heard it–very faint–something that sounded like soft wheezing.

He looked down, and what he saw made his human blood run cold.

Raven was curled up in the fetal position at his feet, her cloak and leotard tattered, torn, and stained with blood. Her breath came out short and raspy, and very shallow. She was clearly unconscious, but from the scrunched up look of her face, she could feel the pain even through the blackness. There was a red mark on her forehead, the same mark Slade boasted.

The other Titans were all standing or sitting moodily in the main room when Cyborg burst in the door. Raven lay draped in his arms. Everyone froze, except Cyborg who continued to scurry by. "We've got to get her to the medical wing, right now!" he yelled as he flew past them and deeper into the Tower. Picking up their jaws, the Titans ran after Cyborg and Raven.

_Darkness. Raven shifted uncomfortably, the pain in her limbs excruciating, dragging her into consciousness, screaming to her that unfortunately she was still alive. Her eyes opened, just in time to see a long, thin flash of red-orange light approach her at a speed she could not track with her tired amethyst eyes. A sudden burst of pain cut through her abdomen, and she bit her lip until it bled to keep from crying out._

_To add insult to injury, the next thing she saw was Slade's face filling her vision. She could smell the fire and death on his breath. "You will become the portal, Raven. You can't stop it anymore than you can stop me. And think about it, I only _work_ for Daddy." Blackness seemed to rush into her face–_

Raven unexpectedly jolted and squirmed in her hospital bed, crying out. The Titans, who had been attempting to hook her up to all manner of medical equipment, were suddenly faced with restraining her as well. Cyborg worked harder and faster on obtaining computer readings of her condition. The other Titans, who were somewhat out of things to do except worry (they were too in-shock as of yet to begin mustering up a plan). Now with Raven's struggles the three remaining Titans sprang into action, grabbing swinging arms and kicking legs. Beast Boy, an arm in hand, tried cooed affectionately to Raven, trying to calm her down, but to no avail. Starfire stared worriedly from the end of the bed, holding Raven's thrashing legs with little effort. "Friend Raven, please stop! It is your friends. We're trying to help you!" Starfire made her attempt to calm the squirming girl.

It was Robin who ultimately halted Raven's outburst by grabbing a handy dandy syringe of sedative, which he turned and quickly stuck into Raven's left arm. Her eyes shot open briefly at this real-world stab of pain, before the lids lowered, her eyes glazed over, and her body relaxed. Soon, Raven was in her healing trance, levitating a few inches over the hospital bed. The sweating Titans relaxed a little, finally seeing Raven do what they knew she needed. Just in case, they strapped her arms and legs to the bed, leaving room for her to continue her trance, and hoping that in her state of unconsciousness she wouldn't figure out to phase through the straps.

"Why didn't she go into her trance or whatever from the beginning?" Beast Boy questioned his friends, worry still ingrained in his features.

"My guess is her mind was still too much in shock from...whatever happened to her," Cyborg answered, having flipped through most of her brain scans.

Robin, frowning, agreed. "That'd be my guess too, Cyborg. I think the sedatives allowed her brain to take a break, and now she can begin to heal."

"Oh! Will friend Raven be okay? What happened to her?" Starfire worried from her position at the end of Raven's bed.

"She'll be fine, Star. Her wounds all seem to be mostly flesh wounds, 'cept maybe a couple, and she should be able to heal all that up in a couple days," Cyborg tried to sound optimistic, but his statement lacked surety.

Robin looked around the room at his friends. Cyborg still by his computers; when the half-metal man was worried, he could find comfort in his machines. Beast Boy was to Raven's right, standing over her like a protective animal, worry plaguing his usually jovial features. Starfire pouted to Raven's left, frequently glancing at her incapacitated friend, thinking maybe if she didn't watch she would wake up and be fine. Robin guessed she was also relating in part to what Raven was going through, and he was right. Starfire's reaction to Raven's condition was visceral; the Tameranean girl could feel the pain in her gut, almost as if Raven's empathy had been reversed and passed to her.

"Alright guys, I think we should take a break here and collect ourselves." He looked around the room, and suddenly noticed the blood staining Cyborg's broad metal chest. Eyeing Cyborg, he continued, "Maybe get a shower, whatever." Cyborg caught his looks and noticing the blood, turned from the group to his computers, not wanting to further disturb the others, who probably had not noticed in their focus on Raven. "Beast Boy, you can take the first watch. If anything changes, you know what to do." Beast Boy nodded grimly. "Everyone else, meet back here in an hour. We've got a lot to talk about."

The three Titans filtered out, and Beast Boy pulled up a chair to get comfortable.

Robin, on his way to his room, couldn't help but remember that the red symbol on Raven's forehead, present from the time Slade left her at the door until her sedation. He assumed Slade must have been the one to deposit Raven on the Tower's doorstep in her present condition however, he also found himself wondering how it had been that Slade's presence had not tripped any of the Tower's alarms.

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I had intended to write more than this for this chapter, but then I got sidetracked because I just got a new laptop, and I couldn't work on this story as much as I'd like to, because I'm busy transferring all my files to this new laptop. I now use MS Word for this story, and on the old laptop I used WordPerfect. God forbid Microsoft should make anything compatible. Point being, I still haven't transferred my story or changed it to .doc format for this laptop so that's why it's been so long for an update. I'm starting to get a good move on the transfers and all that though, so when that's done, hopefully there'll be more progress. But yay for the new laptop! 


	12. Red Light, Green Light

This chapter is revoltingly short. I'm writing it this way because I'm curious to see if I can get back into writing this story, or if I've totally lost my flare on this one. The writer's block seems to getting a bit better though, so at least that. Sadly, has stopped allowing us to write feedback to reviewers, so that part of this section is over. Sorry to everyone about that, but I hope it doesn't deter you from reviewing. Thanks to everyone who sticks with me on this; so sorry for the wait. Here goes nothing, let me know if you hate it.

* * *

Light. Blinding light. Immediately, she squeezed her eyes shut, blocking out the harsh white light.

Pain. Dull aches and sharp agony. The next step Raven took toward consciousness was an abrupt realization what she'd been through, brought through to her foggy mind by the pain of old wounds. Even after her healing trance, much of the damage remained. Groaning, she shifted, and deciding it wise to get as much out of the way at one time as possible, and opened her eyes.

Green. Green skin and eyes. Tired eyes widening, and focusing dazedly on her face. "Beast Boy?" Green lips turned up into a relieved smile, and his eyes divulged the extent of his relief.

"You're awake," he stated with quiet happiness. Beast Boy was leaning forward raptly in his chair, his hands clasped around her right one.

"Really? I hadn't noticed." She looked down at the hand Beast Boy was holding and blushed slightly. He noticed, and quickly moved his hands, also blushing. He tried to play it off like he was adjusting her sheets. Raven attempted to sit up a little, only to cause her vision to swim. She winced. "How long was I out?"

Beast Boy hesitated, and shifted his eyes. "Five days."

Strangely, Raven didn't register much surprise. She had known she was hurt badly, and was actually impressed that was all the longer it had taken her body to heal to an acceptable point. There were other unanswered questions, however. "How did I get back here?"

"Slade left you on the doorstep. Robin was pouring over the surveillance tapes of the Tower, and saw him ring the doorbell and drop you before disappearing in a burst of flames. We still can't explain how he can do that, by the way. Robin's gone totally psycho over it." Beast Boy allowed himself a slight frown from the agony of a focused and angry Robin, which he had endured for close to three weeks. He wondered how much longer the team could have survived Raven's absence.

"It is unnerving," she agreed. As if suddenly realized three other Titans were no where in sight, Raven wondered aloud, "Where's everyone else?"

"Cyborg is doing something with his computer systems, Robin's killing a punching bag in the training room, and Starfire's doing some weird Tamaranean ritual for your health."

"Just another normal day in the Tower," Raven quipped wryly.

Beast Boy was taken aback by the idea that no one was worried about her. There's no way she really though that; she was just being…Raven. Instead of chastising her, he admitted, "We've been worried about you, Raven. No one knew what do when you were gone. We couldn't find you anywhere."

Their eyes met; his pleading with her to forgive him for not saving her, and hers filled with the burden of the worst kind of knowledge. "I know," she said softly, before turning her head to the right and looking away. Her eyes remained downcast, and became distant.

Beast Boy remembered seeing Raven after Adonis had attacked her in beast form. Something primal stirred within him unconsciously. He stood, moved behind the chair he'd been sitting in, and began pacing with a hand to his chin. The thought of someone hurting her boiled his blood, and through gritted teeth he angrily vowed, "Next time we see Slade, I swear I'll kill him." He shook his fist.

"Don't make promises you can't keep." Her statement was simple. There was no sarcasm, only irony.

Hastily, he spun around to face her. "Are you saying I can't kill him? You think I'm not a good enough fighter to—"

Azar, he thought she was insulting his manliness. "Beast Boy, calm down. He's already dead, remember?"

Beast Boy blushed and scratched the back of his head, the rage leaving his body like air from tires. "Oh. Yeah. Heh heh. I kind of…um…forgot about that. But it still bothers me that he's all up and moving around. I'll do something to him though, and he won't like it!"

When he finally stopped being manly, he noticed the look on Raven's face. She searched his eyes before saying quietly, "Thanks, Beast Boy." She lowered her eyes. This was so un-Raven. "For staying with me."

He responded with exaggerated disgust, like a kindergarten boy who just received a kiss on the cheek from his crush and runs around screaming about cooties. "You think I sat here the whole time? No way! Considering how many times a day you threaten to send me to another dimension, there's no chance I'd stay here and wait for you to wake up. This was just my shift." Beast Boy grinned, and his eyes danced.

Raven rolled her eyes. "Now if you don't get out of here and let me sleep, I really will send you to another dimension. And I promise it will be on you won't like."

He raised his hands in a gesture of defeat. "Whatever. I should let the others know you're awake anyway. They'll want to say hi." For a moment, he hesitated, looking at her and grinning with that goofy, one-fanged smile of his.

"Go get them then."

He turned and walked toward the doorway, but when he reached it, he stopped. Looking over his shoulder, he muttered, almost too quietly for her to hear, "Glad you're okay, Raven." Abruptly, he was gone, leaving Raven alone for the moment with her thoughts.

However, her thoughts didn't last long; a combination of medication and exhaustion led her back down the dark road of unconsciousness.

* * *

Yay, end of that chapter. Let's see how long it takes me to write another one. Aren't BB and Raven cute? I'm not even a shipper but sometimes it's just so much fun to make cute things happen. Review because I love it and because if you don't, I'll cut you! 


	13. The Silent Chambers of the Soul

Usual disclaimers, yada yada. This chapter I would up in rating from whatever it is now to M (mature), only because I do mention the origins of Raven, which consists of rape according to the comic books, and I did use comic book lore. Now it's only mentioned in passing really, and I don't go into detail or anything like that, so I don't think it's too bad at all. But I'd rather err on the side of caution. Anyway, I'm happy with this chapter, and hope you enjoy reading it.

* * *

With Raven back in the Tower, things returned to normal, for the most part. The threat of another attack from Slade hung over everyone's heads, but each Titan was so relieved with Raven's return that even the issues of Slade lost its urgency. Robin, ever the insomniac, still searched nightly for the villain, but now with the hope of finding and disabling him, as opposed to the urgency that came with a missing teammate. Cyborg and Beast Boy were back to playing friendly video games, instead of sessions that resulted in frustrated hostility. Starfire started using the joyous mustard in her dishes again, giving a yellow glow to all of her strange concoctions. 

Raven, never the type to take to bed and show weakness, was on her feet within a few hours of waking up after her conversation with Beast Boy. Her own insomnia had returned, as her mind swirled around the events that had caused her to be so injured in the first place. It was a warning, she knew—Trigon letting her know the time was coming. As hopeful as she tried to remain, Slade's abuse had taken its toll on her very limited optimism.

After changing the extensive bandaging all over her body—Slade had loved that whip, hadn't he?—Raven slipped unnoticed up to the roof. The other Titans had assumed she'd be sleeping for quite a while longer, and had left her in care of Cyborg's systems, knowing she'd been conscious and would be fine. Upon reaching the roof, she had been surprised to discover it was close to sunset. Raven had assumed it to be early afternoon at the latest; if for no other reason than that she had just woken up.

Crossing her legs gingerly and touching her middle finger and thumb together, Raven took to hovering above the roof of the Tower. Before entering her trance, she took a moment to appreciate the view. She wondered how many times the sun would set on the Tower, before it would never rise again.

* * *

Over the next week, Raven continued to heal, though she gave no indication of pain. In fact, when Robin ordered her on light patrol, she'd protested vehemently, despite knowing he was right. Cyborg shadowed her, always out of sight, while she was out on patrol. She never mentioned her injuries or what had happened with Slade, and quickly changed the subject when it was breached. If possible, her attitude was even more subdued than usual, but otherwise Raven made no signs of being the bearer of the end of the world. 

Every meditation she fought her father. She fought him in her dreams. As the day of the prophecy neared, he leaked into her conscious thoughts, and she fought him there. Soon she felt like she was fighting all the time, a silent battle none of the others could see. Azar had trained her to control her emotions, to keep Trigon imprisoned within her, and Raven was beginning to draw on strengths she hadn't even known she'd had.

Robin was becoming progressively more and more obsessive, with a frustration towards Slade that had it not been genuine, would have been comical. He was like a movie trivia wizard trying to come up with the name of a famous actor whose name continuously escapes him. Robin could see Slade's face, could see the symbol in his mind, was convinced that the solution was right there in front of him, but couldn't call it into consciousness. Whether Raven liked it or not, soon it would be time to discuss what happened with Slade.

* * *

The Tower's alarm resounded through the halls. Robin was the first to the main room, staring at the giant screen. Cyborg ran in next, followed closely by a flying Starfire. Raven phased through the floor, and Beast Boy ran in last, tugging a shoe on and hopping. 

Robin gave a look to his team, and punching his open palm with a fist, narrowed his eyes and said gruffly, "Slade."

Raven paled. The other Titans turned to look at her. She shifted her eyes back and forth and looked puzzled. "What?"

"Raven, are you sure you're up to this?" Robin stared at her intently, like he was trying to read into her soul. Their eyes met and held, her stare as unflinching as his.

"Don't coddle me, Robin. I'll be fine."

After thinking a minute, Robin went against his better judgment, knowing she'd fight him to the end about it. "Okay." Addressing the group, he shouted, "Titans, GO!"

* * *

Raven paled when she realized where Slade had led them. The building, now standing alone amidst a surrounding circle of ashes and debris—Slade had cremated the adjacent buildings—was one of the oldest in the city, and was used by the Church of Blood as a place of worship. She should have known this was where it would be. 

Angela Roth, abused by her father, had finally run away from home. Hungry, thirsty, alone, and desperate, she had stumbled into a church, seeking sanctuary. When she was caught drinking from the "holy water," a member of the church invited her to stay. The first time she'd been welcomed anywhere, Angela agreed. There she found the closest thing she'd ever felt to belonging. They promised her family. Unwittingly, she had joined a cult, the Church of Blood, who worshipped Trigon, the eighth devil.

One night, the cult was preparing to perform a ritual, and selected Angela to be the summoner. A man appeared to her—a handsome man—and took her to bed. The man revealed his true form—his demon form—but it was too late.

Pregnant with the demon child, Angela had tried to end her and her child's life, to no avail. It was as if the child growing inside of her knew what she was trying to do. It was then that a man appeared, sweeping Angela and her unborn child to Azarath, a culture of pacifists led by the goddess Azar, whose mission it was to destroy Trigon once and for all. Angela adopted the name Arella to conceal her identity from the searching eye of Trigon, and bore his child, who she named Raven.

The other Titans stepped cautiously into the church, looking around for Slade and preparing for a fight. Raven lingered behind, a strong sense of foreboding looming over her. As her toe delicately crossed the threshold, Raven was suddenly bombarded with an image of her mother: young, scared, crying, and alone; staggering into the hall of the church. She felt her emotions, everything her mother had felt as if it was happening again. Involuntarily, she gasped. It was similar to the time Terra had run by her; she had seen a jumble of images, and felt Terra's betrayal.

Beast Boy noticed Raven's hesitation, and heard her gasp, however light. His animal hearing came in handy. He turned to look at her, and noticed the color in her cheeks and the confusion in her eyes. With his eyes, he questioned her. Closing her own violet orbs, she shook her head slightly and moved past him into the church. He followed, close behind.

The Titans delved deeper into the mysteries of the seemingly abandoned church. It was set up similarly to the stereotypical Christian church, except everything was stone—the doors, floors, pews, shrines—and where there should have been a lectern there was a stone altar. Robin approached the altar cautiously, ahead of the other Titans. He circled it, investigating it for clues with an ease that only comes from years of fighting crime. His eyes missed not a detail, making meticulous mental notes of everything. On the opposite side of the altar, he discovered an inscription:

_gemma eram prognatus of malum incendia_

_gemma vadum exsisto suus prodigium_

_Is adveho vindico , is adveho ut genitor_

_terminus of totus res letalis_

"I think I found something," Robin spoke, waving the other Titans over to where he stood on the other side. He kneeled before the podium, and the others crowded around to see over his shoulder. "Anyone have any idea what i—"

Raven grabbed her head and groaned. There was an influx of images and emotions like a tsunami—her mother being prepared for the ritual, to become the summoner, and the terror she felt upon seeing Trigon's true form. Raven experienced it all in a moment, second-hand, as her father laughed distantly and triumphantly in her head. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut. Having the read the prophecy, it was now undeniable. It was here that Trigon had sired her; it was here that would call to her in the end. The knowledge hung heavy on her, made her desperate to change her destiny, but hopeless at the same time. She hunched over, kneeling a few feet from the altar, feeling Beast Boy's hand on her back as she recovered awareness of her surroundings, finally breathing evenly again.

Beast Boy was kneeling beside her, a slight waver in his voice betraying his cool exterior. "Raven, what's wrong? Are you alr—"

"Well Titans, it seems you have played right into my hands again." A voice echoed throughout the empty sanctuary of the church. Daylight seeped through the mostly red stained-glass windows, casting an eery glow implying something quite the opposite of Heaven. The Titans, except Raven, automatically and immediately stepped back into their fighting stances. Slade wasn't showing, just talking. For now, anyway.

Raven, more aware of the situation than any of them, lifted her heard, her eyes glowing white with her power. Standing tall, she stepped forward around the altar, into the center aisle between the pews. The Titans watched flabbergasted. Robin, regaining his composure, shouted forcefully, "Raven! What are you doing? Come ba—"

She didn't wait for him to finish. Slade wasn't here for the others. He was here for her. Right now, the other Titans were in little danger, aside from being annoyances to Slade. And Slade would not dream of taking care of such annoyances now, in front of her, and risk her wrath when he would be unable to kill her. Despite the brutality he had inflicted on her only weeks ago, Raven knew he could not have killed her; she was too important. As long as she lived he was still needed as a messenger, to ensure that she would bring about the end of the world. Whatever it was that Slade needed from Trigon, it rested on her fulfillment of the prophecy.

"SLADE!" Raven yelled into the rafters, her voice commanding and her stance dignified. "Show yourself!"

From a beam almost directly above her head, Slade leapt gracefully to the floor, landing approximately ten feet in front of her in the aisle. The other Titans hesitated a moment, before closing the gap between themselves and Raven to about five feet. They knew this wasn't about them, but they refused to leave a fellow teammate completely vulnerable.

"You called, Raven?" Slade quipped sarcastically. "I'm sure by now you've figured out the purpose of this little experiment in destruction. I do love having fire power; it makes my errands so much easier."

Raven wasn't really one for hero banter. Her voice was ice, and her stance was defiant. "Why do you want this, Slade? If this comes to pass, you will die as well. He will not keep you around for long, a worthless mortal. When your usefulness is gone, so will you be."

"Speaking cryptically, aren't we?" Slade had noticed that despite several mentions of the prophecy of her birth, Raven had not said anything specific. "Have you not told them of your birth yet? The glorious destiny that awaits you? The demon blood that runs within your veins." This last was a statement. He was telling them himself.

"You son of a bitch. Leave them out of this. It does not concern them. I will find a way to stop it from happening, and I will destroy you and your master."

"Wishful thinking, birdie, and you know it. You cannot defeat him. You cannot deny the pull he has on you, even now. Even this long before the fulfillment."

"I will find a way. There has to be a way. And when I find that way, you will not be spared."

"When you give in to Daddy, neither will they." He paused a moment to appreciate her reaction. His words had stung. "The best part is that it is you who brought them into this doomed world, the day you arrived on Earth. The day you met them they became targets of Trigon, the day they became your friends they became his enemies. What tortures he has for them I can only dream—"

With an inhuman growl, Raven lowered her head very slightly, and threw her arm violently out in front of her, which in turn enveloped Slade in a black aura and threw him violently into the stone wall of the church near the entrance. In her anger, the runes returned to burn her skin, and her eyes changed to a dangerous color of red. Raven was still in control of her emotions, however the effects of the expression of them had changed with the nearing of her destiny.

Slade cracked open an eye after hitting the wall, only to see several large stones flying at him, which crushed him in between. Raven has having a blast exorcising her inner demon; Rage was giggling feverishly in her mind. Slade took a good three-minute round of beating, before Raven walked over to where he lay on the floor, bones and body twisted at unnatural angles. She stood over him for a moment, before kneeling down and saying softly, "Tell your master he'll have to kill me before I help him destroy everything I love."

Standing abruptly, she threw Slade into another wall. After he slid to the floor, he got in his last words, "No one said you had to be willing." With that, he phased through the floor.

Raven stood, her back to the Titans. They approached her from behind; she could hear their cautious footsteps on the stone floors. As her anger dripped from her like water, the runs lightened, until they were gone completely. Her eyes ceased to glow. She closed them. Robin, ever the leader, broke the silence first. "Raven, I thi—"

"Yes, I know, Robin. I've got some explaining to do."

* * *

That was a ridiculously fun chapter to write. I cut the Slade being thrown around scene, because it was really just a brief moment of Raven getting to exercise her power, and I think repeated Slade bashings would have been boring. Also, the Latin translation was done using one of those unreliable online ones, so if it's wrong tell me, and it's a rough translation of what they used in the show as the Prophecy: "The gem was born of evil's fire. The gem shall be his portal. He comes to claim, he comes to sire, the end of all things mortal." Read, review, and prepare to love me. 


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